


Defiant to the End We Hear the Call to Carry On (We'll Carry On)

by laudatenium



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adoption, Developing Relationship, Gen, Hydra did it, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, M/M, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unethical Experimentation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-03-02 22:58:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2829053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laudatenium/pseuds/laudatenium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Avengers uncover the results of a strange genetic experiment were put up for adoption by Hydra are now being killed, they do their best to investigate.  Their investigation leads to Queens, where they find Peter and Maria Parker.  Peter, the eldest kid to be put up for adoption and the only one who remembers anything of his time in captivity, refuses to work with the Avengers, seeming very unwilling to interact with any of them.</p><p>But after an assassination attempt kills their Aunt May, Peter and Maria have nowhere to go.  Steve finds himself wanting to take them in, and Tony wrestles with his boyfriend's expectations for the future, all the while wondering why these two seem to be the perfect combination of Steve and himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Defiant to the End We Hear the Call to Carry On (We'll Carry On)

**Author's Note:**

> Titles from “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance.
> 
> Okay, this is a different perspective on how Peter and Maria get to be Steve and Tony's kids than what I've been doing in "Teach Your Parent Well". Here, Peter is 15 and Maria is 10, and were fostered by Ben and May Parker for long enough that they adopted them. (I got a comment from some one who wanted Peter raised by the Parkers, and it kind of stuck in my head. It didn't go with the other story, but I came up with a new one.) Here, Peter becomes Spiderman when he's fifteen, which is younger than he usually is.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: I posted this WAY before I should have. I'm going to do a major facelift to this chapter before I continue. I'm not deleting it off the site, but I'd ignore this if I were you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just a sort of introduction, about Steve and Tony's relationship and Spiderman's position on the team. We'll get to the meat next chapter.

“Whoa there, big fella, not in the face, please!” Tony shouted as one of the crappy Hydra battle robots got excited at the sound of his voice, not being advanced enough to distinguish between sarcasm and genuine terror.  It gave itself enough time for an enthusiastic little squawk, which allowed Tony to slam into it with the flat of his hand.  The little bot let out a sad chirp, before shaking to pieces.

 

Tony tried not to liken it to Dummy.  His bots, while occasionally annoying, were far better built than this.

 

“Nice feint, Man of Iron!” Thor thundered from the other side of the street, where he was unceremoniously bashing them with his hammer.  “Though may I suggest you place your considerable energies in destroying more of the multitude?”

 

“Thanks asshole,” Thor roared with laughter.  “But I got cornered.  No one came to help with their hammer-wielding prowess.”

 

“Don’t worry, Tony; Thor’s just worried that Steve might consider it as challenge for your affections,” Clint chimed in from his perch, routinely taking out three bots with a single arrow.

 

“Worry not, Captain.  I approve strongly of your union.  I have laid claim to what Brother Barton calls your ‘Night of Bachelors’, and I hope to plan the best celebration of your virility ever witnessed.”

 

“Uh, thanks Thor,” Steve answered.  “But Tony and I haven’t been together very long-“

 

“But the desire in your eyes has been evident for years!”

 

Before Steve could squawk, Tony growled, “Rhodey claimed planning my Bachelor Party over twenty years ago.  Thor, have it out with him.  Steve, you need backup?”  Steve was several blocks over from the rest of them, picking off the other end of the barrage.

 

“No, I’m good, Hulk just joined me,” Steve yelled over Hulk’s angry roars.

 

“Hey, look who decided to show up!” Clint shouted from a rooftop.  “Shoulda brought my insecticide for later, Spidey!”

 

“Hawkeye, I know you’re _trying_ to sound intelligent, with big words and everything, but spiders _aren’t_ insects,” Spider-Man’s words came through his voice modulator, sounding much too calm to be swinging from an experimental carbon fiber ninety feet off the ground.

 

“Then what would you call it, Mr. Spidey-pants?”

 

“Arachnicide,” Natasha said, without even pausing her rampage.

 

Clint pouted.  “Why do you tease me over knowing hawk trivia, but when you talk about spiders, it’s cool?”

 

“Because spiders are actually cool,” Spider-Man said as he swung down from a lamppost and began using his web slingers to tie up the bots, leaving them in little gift-wrapped packages for Hulk to smash later.

 

“And spiders don’t have pretentious names like ‘tercel’,” Natasha added, still slicing into the control units of the bots.

 

“Ca-caw, bitches,” Clint muttered dourly.

 

“What the fuck is a tercel?” Sam shouted from where he was flying, trying to kick the bots off the sides of the buildings.

 

“It’s a male hawk or falcon, bitch; you’re supposed to be my brother-in-feathers.”

 

“Clint, you’re the only one who wants to actually _be_ a bird.  I just want a pet falcon.”

 

“That you’ve already named,” Clint started slyly.

 

“Avengers!  Save the chatter for later!”

 

“Sorry, Cap,” came a chorus of decidedly not-sorry voices.

 

 

 

“So,” Tony started.  “You okay?”

 

Steve was in medical, nursing a displaced shoulder.  He looked up upon hearing Tony’s voice, a sappy expression on his face.  “They stuck the bone back in its socket; I’ll be right as rain in half an hour.  When’s debrief?”

 

“Whenever you’re ready,” Tony responded.  “But no, I meant about, you know, what they were talking about.”

 

Steve looked adorably confused.  “About bird terminology?  Why would I-“  A look of understanding crossed his face.  “Oh, Tony, I know this is still new.  I’ll talk to them about toning down their marriage talk.  They’re just happy for us.”

 

“No, I mean, are you upset about them implying-“

 

“That we might get married someday?  No.  I’m just worried about how you’re taking it.”

 

“I’m-“ Tony sat down heavily on the examination table, allowing Steve to put an arm around him and pull him close.  “I’m – I’m not the marrying type, Steve.  Or the paternal type.  And you are.  And I’m just-“

 

“Shhh,” Steve murmured.  “I never wanted a normal life; I just wanted a happy one.  And I am Tony.  When I agreed to undergo the serum’s procedure, I understood I was cosigning to something that was _defiantly_ not normal.  Everyone seems to think that if I hadn’t been frozen I would have settled down with Peggy and had a mess of children, but I wouldn’ve been allowed to retire, and I wouldn’ve made her retire.  But that didn’t happen; she had a good life and encouraged me to have one of my own.  I would love to marry you and start a family, but the crucial element is _you_.  I don’t care if we stay this way, or we have the big gay wedding, but I just want to be with you.”

 

“I always said I wouldn’t get married, or have kids; but Steve, it’s not _completely_ repulsive to think of that with you.”  Tony waited for Steve’s laughter to abate before continuing.  “I do love you; I’m just not ready to think about that yet.”

 

“But you will?  Someday?”

 

“Someday,” not being able to crush the happy sunshine look that Steve was giving him.

 

Steve held his face in one hand, pulling him into his lap with the other.  “You considering it is all I ask, Tony.”

 

And they were kissing.  Not the frantic passionate kisses that happened in bed, or the quick pecks that we a little token _I love you_.  I was an emotionally charged and full of promise.  It left Tony gasping.

 

“If you two aren’t too busy swallowing each other, Fury needs us,” Natasha said from the door way.

 

“Way to ruin a moment, Nat,” Steve grumbled, burrowing into Tony’s shoulder.

 

“My pleasure,” she smiled indulgently.  “Now come on.  You’re scaring the nurses.”

 

 

 

There had been lots of discussion about the possibility, when they were discussing expanding the roster, of heroes who would wish to keep a secret identity.  Some, like Natasha and Clint, had decided initially to keep a low profile, but media interest was so huge that everyone was outed quickly.  It had been decided when they made the announcement of the Avengers being open for new talent that to insure privacy, a potential Avenger would not need to reveal anything about their identity to the Avengers, the public, or the new SHIELD.

 

Spider-Man had been their first (and so far only) recruit through that avenue.  For a couple of months before he joined up, he had been a sort of vigilante (albeit with actual spider powers), and had made the news as a sort of night guardian of Queens and Brooklyn, dealing with robberies and potential rapes and such.  All very good work, but he had irked local law enforcement by doing their job better than them.  There were warrants being drafted when Tony had publicly announced that Spiderman would be a welcome addition to the Avengers.  He admired the guy’s style, and they needed people.

 

Spider-Man notified them of his acceptance by means of dropping into their midst while they were fighting off some sort of kraken four months ago and proceeding to kick spidery ass.

 

He had gotten a voice modulator and some newly-refurbished web-slingers as a welcome present, but had turned down the offer of a new suit to replace the hand-sewn one he wore.

 

“My sister made it for me,” was his reason.

 

They didn’t have much to go on, but judging from his mannerisms had figured that the kid was probably still in high school, possibly college.  The body scans that JARVIS had done said he was still in his mid-teens, but the kid was damn smart, and he might’ve skipped a grade or two.  He had a sister, presumably younger, who could sew fairly decently, lived with him, and was the only person privy to his secret.  He was having girl trouble.  He was very smart, possibly a genius, and gifted with an excellent tactical mind.  He had built his early web-slingers, and had created the carbon-based substance they shot, so he had a lot of scientific potential.  He lived somewhere in Queens, judging from his response times in different areas.  He was a New Yorker, with all the street-smarts and quick wit you could hope for.

 

They had looked up teenage boys, with sisters, good academic standing, and that lived in Queens, but there was still an endless pile to search through.

 

Keeping his identity a secret was very difficult, but it came with the benefit of not needing to go to debriefings or press.

 

So Tony was shocked to see Spider-Man spinning around in a chair while Fury glared at him like he was ten seconds away from swatting the kid with a rolled-up newspaper.

 

“Arachnid Man!  You have decided to join us for the less-glorious aspects of post mission debrief.  I hope you are beginning to understand the mantle of ‘Avenger’ comes with more than defeating villains and getting an action figure,” Thor boomed.

 

Spider-Man flinched.  “Yeah, Thor.  I get that, but you know I’m not keeping my identity a secret for kicks, right?  I’m mainly worried about what would happen to my family if it got out.”

 

“Your love and desire to keep them safe was your intention behind becoming a hero, yes?”

 

“Uh, yeah?  And do the right thing?”

 

“Both noble reasons.”

 

“But think of all the girls I could get if they knew who I _was_ ,” Spider-Man enunciated with a thunk of his head on the headrest of his chair.

 

“I don’t know, are the girls that would be impressed by Spider-Man and not you the ones you want?” Natasha asked maternally, taking the seat across from him.

 

“You sound like my sister.  I’m a _nerd_ , any female attention is welcome.”

 

“I know what that’s like,” Bruce said, tiredly lowering himself into his chair while trying not to let his scavenged pants fall down.  “What about you, Tony?”

 

“Uh, excuse you, I’m Tony Stark and I’ve had people throwing themselves at me since puberty.”  He undermined the declaration by trying to climb into Steve’s lap.

 

“Stark, no PDA at my conference table.  And back to the matter at hand, you assholes are supposed to be giving me a report.”

 

“About our love lives?  Okay, I lost my virginity when I was fifteen to the trapeze artist in my circus troop.  Stop laughing, you assholes.”

 

“Was she-“

 

“Very flexible?  She wouldn’ve gotten the job if she wasn’t,” Clint winked at Natasha, who just rolled her eyes and pulled out a knife to chip off her teal nail polish, which was still stained with blood.

 

Fury sat back in his chair and pinched the ridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger.  “And ya’ll got the nerve to call yourselves professionals.”

 

 

 

Once they had finished their report, Fury swooped out before the vein in his head could pop.

 

“So,” Tony turned to Spider-Man.  “We usually go get something to eat after a debrief-“

 

Spidey visibly wilted.  “Sorry.  I can’t.  Not that I wouldn’t love to, but I can’t take the mask off.”

 

“You could just roll it up beneath your nose.  We already know you’re a pasty white boy,” Sam frowned.

 

“How did you-“

 

“That time your suit ripped.”

 

Spider-Man self-consciously put a hand over his hip.  “You saw that?”

 

“Every inch.  You know we’re going to figure out you identity sooner or later, right?”

 

“Yeah, but-“

 

“What?  Got somewhere better to hang out with?”  Clint asked.

 

“Need to be home for dinner.  Meatloaf.”  With that, he slunk out.

**Author's Note:**

> Whooo, second multi-chapter fic. (Why haven't I finished the first one?)
> 
> Ah, well. So it goes.


End file.
